In other news, water is wet and Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead. Yes, I know I just wrote something that is self-evident.

But here's the reason for my rant. (Warning--link will open MSNBC's video player). Matthews has Ann Coulter on a couple of days ago and treats her like a human, when she clearly isn't. She's vileness on a platter, a walking, breathing piece of dog excrement who makes noises resembling speech in an attempt to court controversy. A while back, when she called John Edwards a fag, I thought the left did an admirable job of dismissing her, treating her as the unimportant person she is.

But Chris Matthews (invariably held up as an example of the "liberal media") continues to have her on his show, probably because his ratings are in the crapper again (when Beck's beating you, you're in trouble), and that gives her a place to spew her vile crap.

Here's the thing though. Watch that clip, and see how Matthews spins this confrontation. He's acting as though he had nothing to do with the fact that Ann Coulter was on his show that night so that Elizabeth Edwards could confront her in the first place. He's Mister I'm-not-involved, and wanting to discuss the controversy, as though he wasn't the cause of the controversy in the first place by having Coulter on.

John Edwards, I thought, comported himself more than well, by the way. He called Coulter crazy, which she is. I wish he'd called out Matthews, asked him why he keeps having her on the show when he knows she'll pull this kind of crap, but you can't get everything. I mean, it's not like Coulter was moving a ton of paper before the show, so Matthews can't legitimately use that as an excuse.

It's a nice feeling, personally, to have such quality at the top of the ticket for 2008, I have to say. I mean, I have the Obama quote at the top, because I really like him, but I could vote for Edwards or Clinton or Richardson or nearly any of the Democrats running without any hesitation. I say nearly because I'd cringe before voting for Gravel or Biden, not that it's likely to be an issue. Edwards has his moments when he really impresses me. Still, I have to wish that Chris Matthews wouldn't provide them this way.